Age: 40
Occupation: Director of Baton Rouge Programming, New Orleans Video Access Center
Hometown: Baton Rouge
From the Sunset Strip to sunset jogs around University Lake, Elizabeth Hutchinson has never stopped running.
The Baton Rouge native was not one who had to spend years searching for a purpose; her passion for film has never been a secret.
“I just always loved it as a kid,” she says. “I loved movies, loved being able to escape, loved all the shows I grew up with: Growing Pains, The Cosby Show,'” Hutchinson says. “I think I’ve had a subscription to People magazine since I was eight.”
A traveling woman with a taste for adventure, Hutchinson’s wanderlust and love for the movies took her to Los Angeles as soon as she snagged her degree from LSU in 1998. Eleven years of working in Hollywood took her from a production assistant on a Richard Gere flop to high-ranking gigs with Mark Burnett Productions, the company behind Survivor and The Amazing Race.
But by 2009, Hutchinson was ready for a change. What was meant as a quick stop in Baton Rouge on the way to a new life turned into a five-year stay, and Hutchinson couldn’t be happier.
For someone with Hutchinson’s experience and dedication, Louisiana-based jobs on the production side of the film industry came fast and furious.
Hutchinson now channels her passion into her work as director of Baton Rouge programming for the New Orleans Video Access Center. The New Orleans-founded nonprofit organization connects locals with opportunities in the film industry and provides free training for aspiring film professionals.
She still sets a goal to visit at least one place she’s never been each year — Mexico’s Caribbean coast and Colorado’s mountains this year — but the die-hard Tiger fan feels that now she can have it all in one place.
“I moved away because the industry didn’t exist here then, and Baton Rouge didn’t appeal to someone like me with the bright lights, big city attitude,” Hutchinson says. “It’s pretty amazing and significant that people like me are here now, that things are happening in Baton Rouge to keep us here.”
